Company:StudyFree
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | Delaware, USA (2018) |
| Founders | Dasha Kroshkina |
| Headquarters | Delaware, USA |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Dasha Kroshkina (founder and CEO) |
Number of employees | 150 (March 2021) |
| Website | studyfree |
StudyFree is an American EdTech startup and online platform founded in 2018 by Dasha Kroshkina, a Forbes 30 Under 30 top trailblazer [1], to offer study abroad and scholarship opportunities worldwide.
History
April 2018 — Dasha Kroshkina gave her inaugurating free webinar for those seeking foreign education with a scholarship.
June 2018 — The startup had 70 successful enrolments into overseas universities and 2,170 users of the platform’s demo version.
November 2018 — StudyFree took part in the pre-acceleration program run by the Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF). Employing then 5-6 people who provided program selection counseling and support, the project reached a break-even point.
May 2019 — StudyFree developed and deployed an online platform to automate its customer processes.
March 2020 – The startup participated in two U.S. business accelerator programs, i.e., San Francisco based Berkeley SkyDeck (April 2020) and TechStars NYC (mid-July 2020).
April 2020 — StudyFree was named the winner at the Seedstars World Competition and was awarded a $500,000 seed investment. It also created the StudyFree Community to unite students, graduates and mentors with enrollment abroad and relocation experiences. [2]
May 2020 -— The startup got the first funding round ($600,000) led by Dutch Acrobator to continue its international expansion in India, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Brazil, and the U.S. [3]
July 2020 — 23,000 enrollments, with $4,1 million in scholarships and grants.
October 2020 — StudyFree changed its business model, switched to the subscription format (1-year, 2-year and 3-year user programs) and run through the second round of funding with $1.8 million invested by TMT Investments and I2BF Global Ventures.
January 2021 — With over 40,000 users in 108 countries, the project gained traction in overseas markets, including South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, India, Brazil, and the U.S[4]
April 2021 — The platform offered more than 100,000 programs to 50,000 registered users with $10.3 million received by the applicants in scholarships and grants.
December 2021 - The platform has raised a $3 million seed investment round led by I2BF Global Ventures, TMT Investments and Techstars.[5]
Product
Platform
The StudyFree ecosystem combines a broad array of tools (e.g., academic programs, application requirements, forms and templates, and government/university scholarships, including deadlines, guides, and to-do lists), customer support (academic/volunteering program counseling, application planning, document submissions, contacts with universities, etc.) and the community contribution (language courses, leadership and ambassador programs, volunteering, coaching, workshops, and social events for students and mentors).
Community
The StudyFree community unites over 1,000 mentors (students with enrollment and study abroad experience) from India, Europe, Africa, the CIS, Brazil, and the U.S. It employs a dedicated communication and event app for iOS and Android and provides help in the application process, relocation and adaptation abroad, including search for housing and jobs.
Figures and Indicators
As of March 2022:
- Over 100,000 platform users,
- 300,000 academic programs,
- $41,213,000 in grants and scholarships won with StudyFree.
Awards and Achievements
2019 - Creatella Ventures Competition - 2nd place
2020 - Seedstars startup competition Global Winner [6]
2020 - Berkeley SkyDeck Accelerator Program
2020 - Techstars NYC Accelerator Program
2021 - StudyFree has raised a $3 million seed investment round by TechCrunch [7]
References
- ↑ "Dasha Kroshkina-CEO & Founder has been officially selected for Forbes 30 under 30" (in en). https://profiles.forbes.com/members/business/profile/Dasha-Kroshkina-CEO-Founder-StudyFree/18eadca2-98bc-47ec-8ed9-ee45b61ea08b.
- ↑ "Russia's StudyFree named the winner of Seedstars World 2020". 2020-04-03. https://gfmdbusinessmechanism.org/news/studyfree-an-edtech-start-up-won-the-2020-seedstars-global-competition-held-digitally-on-line-3-april-2020-more-than-5000-applicants-from-more-than-83-countries-from-emerging-markets-competed-bag/.
- ↑ "StudyFree expands to five developing markets". https://buzznewspost.com/news/education/studyfree-expands-to-five-developing-markets/.
- ↑ "StudyFree expands to five developing markets". 2021-05-10. https://thepienews.com/news/studyfree-expands-to-five-developing-markets./
- ↑ "StudyFree, an international student scholarships and grants platform, raises $3M seed". https://techcrunch.com/2021/12/13/studyfree-an-international-student-scholarships-and-grants-platform-raises-3m-seed/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALqenK2mFeAXqvFglD0YaKpwfE7pDX00YpKGLIYpbxxZ1x-G61RTqO8QbO-56Z8lBXHWiqTUWbq_OvvYsnZLDIKIkZgnQhMBpJxOMu3LoEB_yoLH1JAh94pQoMgSq_TJJ7oFjg7qUn8G7k1am2SKKM_HY09dbvcKqvPjRHClh9hu.
- ↑ "StudyFree named the winner of Seedstars World 2020". 2020-04-03. https://ventureburn.com/2020/04/studyfree-named-the-winner-seedstars-world-2020/#:~:text=Russian%20edtech%20startup%20StudyFree%20has,%24500%20000%20in%20equity%20investment..
- ↑ "Techstars Portfolio Updates - December 2021". 2022-01-06. https://www.techstars.com/the-line/innovation-in-action/techstars-portfolio-updates-closing-out-2021?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=&utm_term=&utm_content=&utm_campaign=.
External links
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